Tell Me It'll Be Okay
by Riko Ai Kumagai
Summary: Temari hurts because of her life. Her siblings, her dead parents. And she knows she can never be with the boy she likes. So how does she deal? ShikaTem fluff.


**Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story.**

Temari laid back on her bed and sighed. She smiled to herself. The reason she was smiling: sometimes you had to laugh and smile to keep from crying. Gaara had been getting more and more unstable lately. Locking himself in his room, and staying in there. It was so hard to listen to him screaming. And Kazekage-sama. He didn't even care at all. The man, her father, had left the three siblings to care for themselves, and now that Orochimaru had killed him, they were orphans on top of it. Kankuro...she didn't know what was going on with him, but she was sure he was feeling the same way she was. Temari hoped he was okay.

She heard someone walking down the hallway outside her closed door. They stopped for a moment when they were right outside her door, then continued. Temari figured it was Gaara. She turned her head to face the opposite wall.

"Gaara..." she muttered. "Why does life have to be like this? Why couldn't it happen to someone else?"

A tear burned her eye but she refused to let it fall and she turned her head again to look at her door. The thoughts flooding her mind at that point were of that boy whom she'd helped. He'd been annoying...and lazy...and cool, calm, and collected...but she'd liked him. So much. Not that she had any friends to listen, or a mother to explain her feelings. What was his name? Nara Shikamaru, right? Yes, that sounded right to her. His face flooded her mind as she thought of him and she found herself smiling.

"Shikamaru-kun," she muttered. "Nara Temari. That sounds nice." She laughed slightly and then shook her head. "No. I'm not made for someone like that."

'So then...who are you made for?' a small voice asked.

"Who knows..." Temari muttered back to the voice. "But not him. I can't be made for him."

'But isn't he perfect? Handsome, strong, relaxed. Even-headed.'

"I know that," the girl snapped back, getting angry at the truthful voice. She didn't want the truth, she just wanted to go with the lies she lived off of. For example, that everything would be okay. She knew it wouldn't be. How could a family like her's ever be okay? Things were so bad, it would take a long, long time to get back to being even remotely okay.

'So stop lying to yourself! Find him, go be with him!' the voice shouted.

"No, I can't...I can't do that...everything isn't _meant _to be okay!"

Maybe, if the voice hadn't been a part of her own mind, it would have been confused on the reason she'd said that. But the voice knew, because she knew.

'You're choking on your allibies,' the voice muttered. 'Stop it.'

"I can't," Temari coughed. She realized she'd started crying. "I've got to keep my family together."

'What family?' the voice exclaimed. 'You know you don't really have one!'

Temari turned over and put her head into her pillow, the tears flowing freely. "Shikamaru..." she cried. Why was she calling his name?

'Because you love him,' the small voice answered her unspoken question.

It was about a week later. Midnight. Full moon. Gaara of course was in his room. Shukaku's blood would be getting excited soon. And Temari couldn't sleep. Her breathing was deep and steadying, listening intently for her omouto-chan to start screaming. And, after not too long a time, the Shukaku started. And so did Gaara.

But Temari found herself too afraid to get up and help him. She knew Kankuro was as well. They were both lying there, listening in terror, but unable to do a thing about it.

"Gaara..." Temari whispered to herself, squeezing her eyes shut. She put her hands over her ears to block out the sound, but to no avail. The screams pierced her mind.

And one day, the three had gone to Konoha on a mission. When they got there and completed their mission a few weeks later, Temari was staring out of a window at night, and Gaara was on the roof. And his hands were on his head. Again. Temari sighed, watching her brother, and the pain of everything hammered her heart again.

"I need some air," Temari muttered, and jumped out of the window and onto the ground. Gaara watched her run, and deep down in his heart felt bad that Temari had to deal with everthing, and take care of himself and Kankuro and their house. Then the pulsating pain of Shukaku hit him again, and he groaned and turned away from the fading sillhouette of his sister.

Temari was headed anywhere. Just...running.

Shikamaru was in his room, also unable to sleep that night for a reason unknown to even him. He was staring out of his window, and since he couldn't see the clouds so late, he was staring at the next best thing: the moon. And his mind had wandered to the girl who had helped him. Temari. He'd always said he wanted a girl not too beautiful and not too ugly. But to him, she was the most beautiful thing in the world. And he loved her. She was smart, and strong. And she'd been there for him. She was in Konoha, he had seen her. But he hadn't really spoken to her. Just stared at her from afar. And then he saw her run past his window.

"Temari?" he muttered, and sat up. He hurried out of his room and to the front door, he opened it and stepped outside. She was still running. "Temari!" he said, just loud enough for her to hear.

That voice. Temari knew that voice. She stopped in her tracks. "Shikamaru?" she muttered, turning around. Shikamaru was standing there, staring at her, and worry showed in his eyes.

"What are you doing out here?" Shikamaru asked, taking a step forward.

The girl looked down, thinking about her answer, but as she thought about it, tears stung her eyes again. "I...just needed some air," she lied. But Shikamaru heard the pain in her voice.

"No, what's wrong?" he asked. Her eyes were so beautiful with the moon reflecting on them.

"I...Just..." Temari was stammering, not wanting to cry and look weak, but all the pain that had built up was trying to claw it's way out through her eyes. "Everything!" she finally exclaimed, tears welling up and spilling over down her cheeks. "_Everthing_, Shikamaru!"

She ran to him and put her head on his chest, pressing against him. "Kankuro always acts like nothing is wrong but he has to feel it! And Gaara is always in pain, and the screaming I hear from him is just unbearable! I can't take it anymore! My father never really cared! But now that he's gone it's all even harder than it was before! I just wish...I had something normal...sometimes when I have to listen to him scream...I can almost feel it. My heart hurts for him, Shikamaru. I don't know what to do anymore."

Her hands clutched his arms and her head was still resting against his chest, she was still crying and gasping slightly because she couldn't breathe properly due to it and her knees gave way and Shikamaru allowed his to, so that they both sank to the ground. Temari choked on her tears again, hiccuping slightly.

Shikamaru didn't know what to say, or do, to make her feel better. He wondered if there was anything he could say. But all he was doing was shushing her gently, and telling her everything would be okay.

Temari heard him say it would be okay. And for some reason, when he said it, it seemed right. She could believe it. No voice argued back or questioned it. Shikamaru said it.

"So it must be right," Temari whispered.

Shikamaru was confused why she'd said that, because he couldn't hear her thoughts. But he remained quiet. And let her cry. He thought that might be all he really needed to do for her.


End file.
